Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Study,
go to class, graduate and land a job — that’s a familiar path to college
students searching for the American dream of prosperity.

As
part of the process, astute college students seek out mentors or participate in
internships to develop career insight. These opportunities can provide valuable
tips on what to expect in the future. But what does it really mean to be a
member of the American workforce?

Levine
Scholar and UNC Charlotte alumnus Austin Halbert sought the answer. The
resulting book, “The American Workday: Tales of Life and Work in the United
States Today,” published in January 2016, shares stories of America’s workers.
It explores how one’s career can affect an individual’s personal life off the
clock, along with misconceptions associated with jobs and class.

Horizons
Expand with Levine Grant

A
native of Shelby, N.C., Halbert attended Crest High School. Growing up in a small
town just west of Charlotte, he was exposed to a working-class population and had
little understanding of how people lived outside of that lifestyle.

Austin Halbert is completing a year-long Fulbright Fellowship in Sweden

“When
I became a Levine Scholar, I was given an opportunity to go to school in a
diverse city, to travel and meet people from backgrounds that were foreign to
me,” noted Halbert. “This taught me so much about people whose conditions I
could have only speculated upon before leaving my hometown. As soon as I heard
someone’s story directly from them, I was then able to feel empathy for others
facing similar circumstances.”

To gain a better understanding of how society functions,
Halbert listened to people’s stories and connected them to larger social
trends.

“I believe storytelling is the best way to foster empathy.
When I heard discussions in America becoming increasingly divisive —
politically, economically and socially — I wanted to find a way to inject a
little bit of empathy into the equation. Fortunately, I found many generous
people who were willing to share their stories for this purpose,” Halbert said.

“Most of the workers interviewed were from the Charlotte
area, and if they are any indication, the people of Charlotte are an incredibly
resilient, compassionate and hard-working bunch,” Halbert said. “I found that
each person I spoke to had fundamentally similar motivations: to provide for
the people who depended on them, to find pride and dignity through their work
and to find balance between working hard and leading a fulfilled life.”

A member of the Class of 2015, Halbert completed a bachelor’s
degree in management with a concentration in organizational management. He also
earned a minor in economics.

“The American Workday” was funded through a grant from the
Levine Scholars Program, which enabled Halbert to complete the work. The book
is endorsed by the Global Engagement Summit and the Clinton Global Initiative
University.Proceeds from the book, available at www.americanworkday.comin hardcover and e-book formats, benefit Charlotte Works and
Hired Heroes, organizations working to end unemployment by matching jobless
citizens with workforce-training opportunities.

In September 2015, Halbert began a yearlong
Fulbright graduate research fellowship at Sweden’s University of
Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and
Law. He is studying sustainable development through an assessment of
public-private partnerships. Additionally, he is interviewing government and
business officials in the capital of Stockholm.

Sustainability
Across Sectors

“My mission is to find out how institutions approach social,
economic and environmental sustainability across sectors and to determine what
can be done to further efforts,” explained Halbert. “Sweden is a world leader
in sustainability and innovation, so hopefully these insights can serve as a
lesson for institutions around the world on how to meet the needs of society
while growing strong businesses.”

Interviewees have included ministers and ambassadors for the
Swedish government, as well as top executives at global companies such as
Ericsson, Electrolux, Ikea and H&M.

The Fulbright program is one of the largest and most
prestigious international exchange programs in the world today. Its main
objective is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United
States and the citizenry of other nations through the sharing of ideas,
knowledge, skills and individual experiences.

Recently, Halbert was appointed to the Youth Working Group
for the U.S. National Commission to UNESCO. The 12 American leaders who make up
the group endeavor to engage youth and share UNESCO’s mission of international
peace and universal respect.

“As a new member of the Youth Working Group, I am leading the
creation of the UNESCO Action Coalition, which will pair young activists and
social entrepreneurs with experienced mentors in their fields. The mission is
to connect new and experienced generations of change-makers, while providing
guidance to high-impact projects focused on sustainable development,” Halbert
explained.

With the help of two co-founders he has met while conducting
research in Sweden, Halbert is also planning the launch of a social enterprise
he calls “ImpactEd,” which will empower universities to bring real-world
problem solving into the classroom.

Leanna Pough is communications coordinator in
the Office of Public Relations.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Although
Lindsey McApline (‘90) was pursuing a double major in Business and Psychology
at UNC Charlotte, he always knew real estate development would play an outsized
role in his professional future. “I was actively working in real estate and
anxious to go out in the business world,” he recalls. “I started my first
development company between my junior and senior year in college.”

Lindsey McAlpine

Fast
forward a quarter-century and the former UNC Charlotte alumni president has
made his mark in the development world. Yet, McAlpine feels his biggest and
most personal project is just around the corner. As the managing partner of
Citisculpt, an urban mixed-use developer working exclusively in the Carolinas,
McAlpine is now one of three developers vying to revive and redevelop the
Second Ward community once known as Brooklyn. The Mecklenburg County Commission
will make the selection.

“This
is the most impactful project in Charlotte in my generation,” says the
Charlotte native. “It’s an opportunity to rebuild a historic legacy and to
build nearly the whole quadrant of the Second Ward.”

Second
Ward is currently dominated by the city’s government quarter, the courthouse,
the no-longer used Board of Education offices and the rarely-used Marshall
Park. Fifty years ago, the area was home to about 1,000 African-American
families. The community was razed as part of the kind of urban renewal plans
that swept through the country during the 1960s and 70s. Residents, who had no
say in the matter, were supposed to be relocated to federally-funded public
housing that never materialized. The families, largely left to their own
devices to find housing, were dispersed to the city’s poorer neighborhoods
surrounding the city center. The treatment left deep scars with those who lost
their homes, neighborhood and community.

In
large part, the kind of urban renewal projects that displaced urban, minority
communities and wiped out a city’s character and history have largely been
discredited. Now, development and gentrification tend to focus on, if not
preserving the past, at least giving a nod to it. Redeveloping the Second Ward
is no doubt a tricky project since it contains so many moving parts, including
reimagining Marshall Park.

One concept for Brooklyn Village presented by CitiSculpt.

McApline
has worked to keep all these elements in mind throughout every step of his
design process. The group researched the area’s history and the stories of
people who had lived there in order to understand the best way create a
positive and inclusive legacy. He believes CitiSculpt’s community outreach sets
it apart from the other two competitors. “We are absolutely committed to
hearing what all the stakeholders want in this design and it’s extremely
important to hear the community’s input about this design.”

CitiSculpt
has put together a team with the kind of unique experience necessary to bring
its vision-- up to 1,378 residential units along with hotels, retail space and
offices -- to fruition. Prominent architect and former mayor Harvey Gantt
essentially came out of retirement to lend his insight and vision to this project.

“There’s
a lot of pain associated with the removal of that community,” says Gantt. “That
is why this development has to be done well and realized. It sends a serious
message to the African-American community that we wanted so badly to restore
the community that we chose the right company to deliver the completion of this
project.”

If
McAlpine is selected, he will be very, very busy for the next 4-5 years. That’s
how long he estimates creating the new Brooklyn will take.

# #
#

In the video available through the link below, Lindsey McAlpine and Harvey Gantt discuss the
possible future of Brooklyn Village.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Andrew Hartley, Robinson Distinguished Professor of
Shakespeare in the Department of Theatre, has written a new
fantasy-adventure-mystery for young adult readers. “Steeplejack: A Novel” will
be released by Tor Teen on June 14.

Set in 19th-century South Africa, the book has received
glowing reviews, particularly for its young female protagonist. The monthly
book review publication BookPage named it the “Top Teen Pick” for June 2016.
Steeplejack is the first book in a series of three.

Hartley, who writes fiction under the name A.J. Hartley, has
published numerous novels of fantasy, mystery and historical fiction for adults
and young adults, including novelizations of two Shakespeare tragedies, “Macbeth”
and “Hamlet” (written with David Hewson). He recently collaborated with
platinum-selling musician Tom Delonge to write “Sekret Machines Book 1: Chasing
Shadows,” the first of three volumes that was released by Simon & Schuster
in April.

Among his scholarly publications are two books published in
2014: “Julius Caesar (Shakespeare in Performance),” published by Manchester
University Press, and “Shakespeare on the University Stage,” published by
Cambridge University Press.

When Zacch Estrada-Petersen attended UNC
Charlotte, his academic focus was not a technology-based curriculum. Graduating
in 2005 with a degree in accounting, he also explored Spanish, journalism and
music.

Alumni Kevin Jackson (left) and Zacch Estrada-Petersen

When he graduated, he set his sights on an
entirely different sphere.

“I became increasingly concerned about the lack
of diversity in the technology field,” Estrada-Petersen said. “I reached out to
my friend, Kevin Jackson, who is in the IT field and also an alumnus of UNC
Charlotte.”

Jackson and Estrada-Petersen were inspired by
President Obama's initiative, My Brother's Keeper. They decided to start an
endowment to provide a scholarship in a STEM field, specifically for students from
underrepresented populations.

It was a remarkable and daunting challenge for
the two young men.

“We are both still early in our careers - I am
31, and he is 36,” Estrada-Petersen said. “We each donate a little more than
$200 per month, and our endowment will be fully funded within five years.”

In September 2014, President Obama issued a challenge to cities,
towns, counties and tribes across the country “to implement a coherent cradle-to-college and career strategy for improving the life outcomes of all young people to ensure that
they can reach their full potential, regardless of who they are, where they come fromor the circumstances into which they are born.”

Of concern to the two were the rising cost of
higher education and the number of students at schools like UNC Charlotte who
needed financial assistance. After they did their research, they learned the
average student debt at graduation was $26,000.

“I know from personal experience how a
scholarship like this can change your life,” Estrada-Petersen said. “I was
fortunate to get some scholarships, but I still had to borrow a lot of money to
finish my degree.”

And the impact of student loan debt is felt
years after graduation. For him, it means waiting a few more years before launching
his own business venture.

“I think of the bright student who might be the
next great innovator but is limited in what he or she can do because of debt,”
he said. “It really changes how you can move ahead with some of your dreams.”

During his time at UNC Charlotte,
Estrada-Petersen worked at University Times, the student-run newspaper. As a
senior, he founded the Voices of Eden Gospel Choir, a student organization with
which he still very active.

Since 2008, he has worked as a senior accountant
for the Charlotte office of a New York-based multinational diversified-media
company. In addition to serving as a member on the UNC Charlotte Alumni
Association board of directors, he is co-marketing chair on the board for the
Charlotte chapter of Habitat Young Professionals and the social media chair for
the Charlotte chapter of 100 Black Men of America.

Jackson is a 2007 graduate of UNC Charlotte with
a degree in software and information systems. Prior to enrolling at the
University, he served in the U.S. Army for five years. He currently works as a
middleware engineer for a Charlotte financial services company.

Both Estrada-Petersen and Jackson know that what
they are doing is unique.

“This idea may seem a little crazy to some
people, and I can tell you neither one of us is independently wealthy,” said
Estrada-Petersen. “We had to take the long route to fund this endowment, paying
about $2,500 each per year for five years.”

It’s tough to be patient and wait to see the
fruits of their hard work and sacrifice.

“We hope to do a couple of other small things in
the interim,” said Estrada-Petersen. “We will feel a lot better when we get to
see the impact of this scholarship.”

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